New contract ends lockout at Indspec

August 6, 2014News Extra

PETROLIA — The nearly five-month long lockout at the Indspec chemical plant is over.

The plant’s union workers Tuesday voted and ratified a new three-year contract, according to Ron Bowser, president of the United Steelworkers of America, Local 6346-25.

“It’s finalized,” he said this morning. “We have a contract.”

Bowser said it was the fourth vote taken in contract negotiations. The union represents 175 full-time workers at the plant.

Bowser did not specify the details of the contract, but said it had just minor adjustments from previous deals presented to the union.

“This contract is a concessionary contract,” he said.

Union representatives will meet with the company officials today to discuss when workers will return to the plant.

“I suspect that will be within a week,” Bowser said. “It shouldn’t be long.”

Indspec, a subsidiary of the Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum Corp., locked out workers April 5 after they turned down contract changes that the company sought.

The company refused to keep workers on the job under the terms of the previous three-year contract.

Pay cuts for 30 lower-grade jobs, a reduction of employee personal days from five to one, holiday scheduling, overtime assignments, job shift scheduling, and health insurance were issues during negotiations.

Company spokesman Eric Moses did not respond to inquiries about the finalized deal.